firearms

So far, three bills related to firearms (that I could find, at least), have been slated to be introduced when the session starts up again in February. As the session approaches and wears on, I will try to keep this updated.

HB 2193

HB 2193 by Rep. Jason Murphey doesn't really need a whole lot of discussion. It simply proposes to amend firearm storage laws to include ammunition. This is presumably to prevent employers and other entities from being able to enforce policies that prohibit the storage of ammunition rather than just the storage of a firearm in locked vehicles in parking lots. What good is that gun that you carry without ammunition, after all?

The United States House of Representatives passed HR 822 yesterday. That's the NRA-backed bill to force the states to recognize concealed weapons permits from other states.

While Congress claims authority under the Commerce Clause, the Commerce Clause offers no such authority. Like the push for Second Amendment incorporation through Due Process rather than more responsible means, this is another way for the NRA to ensure their need to exist for Second Amendment litigation purposes.

Every Congressman who chose to vote for the bill also chose to ignore the rest of the Constitution. That includes Oklahoma Congressmen Dan Boren (D), Tom Cole (R), James Lankford (R), Frank Lucas (R), and John Sullivan (R).

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence has released their scorecard. Oklahoma's position? Tied in 43rd place beside Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Montana with TWO (2) POINTS. There is a three-way tie for last between Alaska, Arizona, and Utah.

So where did those two points come from? Well, in Oklahoma, you're not allowed to carry a firearm on a college campus.

Friends, tell your legislators they can do better! Let's shoot for a score of ZERO POINTS! (Don't worry, we'll go for a negative score after we reach that goal.)

Yesterday, Oklahoma HB1652 was heard in the Senate Rules Committee after being withdrawn from the stonewalling Senate Public Safety Committee. It received a recommendation of Do Pass As Amended.

The amended version includes a stricken title and removed some redundant language.

The Oklahoma Rifle Association has a new statement on its website about SB129 - the best open carry bill we have available in Oklahoma at this time. Here's a screenshot in case they flip again:

No documentation or results of this "constructive dialogue" are available as far as I am aware. However, you might recall that the ORA recently made many unfounded claims in an open letter to legislators about the current version of this bill that showed an obvious lack of understanding of gun laws (both state and federal). By the way, letter is available here.

In addition to OK2A's support of HB1647 as a so-called open carry bill (without the Virgin amendment), the Oklahoma Rifle Association has come out against SB129. Here's part of the letter sent by the ORA to your representatives:

The Oklahoma House of Representatives has voted 87-6 to pass HB1439. This bill extends the "Castle Doctrine" to business owners, managers, and employees.

Currently, Oklahoma law says that people who are in a dwelling, residence, or occupied vehicle have no duty to retreat. In the event that they have to use defensive force, it is presumed that they were in fear of death or great bodily harm. It is also presumed that the intruder had intent to harm the person.

HB1439 adds language to include business owners, managers, and employees this legal protection when the need arises to use defensive force in their place of business.

You might say that this is redundant with the "Stand Your Ground" doctrine that a citizen in a place where they have a right to be has no duty to retreat, and it very well might be. However, HB1439 does serve to clear up any confusion here.

On Sunday, an op-ed by President Barack Obama was published on the Arizona Daily Star's website. He wrote around a thousand words that were supposed to be on gun control. However, if you read it, you'll probably come to the same conclusion that I did.

It's a thousand words that say nothing.

I'm actually surprised that the reaction from the gun control community seems to be very supportive, since all that was pretty much said was "enforce the laws on the books". The way that I've been reading stuff from the gun freedom community made me think before reading this piece that he was calling for a ban on gun magazines based on size.

The Oklahoma House of Representatives just passed House Bill 1652. HB1652 changes how vo-tech campuses are treated with respect to firearms laws. Currently, vo-tech campuses are treated as K-12 campuses. HB1652 amends the law to treat them the same as college campuses.

This is good news for the many responsible adults who possess a valid concealed carry permit and attend CareerTech classes, as I blogged about yesterday. While this bill doesn't allow carry on campus (without administrative permission), it does allow permit holders to leave their firearm in their vehicle.

This bill alleviates some of the issues faced by permit holders who are choosing to further their education through the CareerTech system. While I personally believe that people should be able to carry adequate tools of self defense everywhere, this is a much needed step in the right direction.

I'm guessing these are sold the same place as Carolyn McCarthy's barrel shroud.